A legal blog with a unique point of view written and Published by The Law Offices of James F. Aspell, P.C.. We are a full-service firm in suburban Hartford, Connecticut practicing with a special emphasis on worker's compensation and personal injury law. We pride ourselves on personal attention to your matter giving you small firm attention but big firm results.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Compensability of workplace brawl a question of fact

In Fekieta v. Drill Masters, Eldarado Tool, Inc., the CRB was called upon to review the Trial Commissioners decision that a workplace fight between two employees was not compensable. Generally speaking, Connecticut law holds that if you are injured as a result of a fight at work, then that is not causally related to the job itself and thus is not covered for the purposes of workers comp. In Fekieta, that facts were somewhat unique and an argument was made that the fight between the employees was engendered by one worker interfering with the other doing his job. Under certain conditions, I can see this argument carrying the day however in this case, the trial commissioner simply did not find the claimant credible. Not surprisingly, the CRB did not disturb the decision. Questions of credibility are solely within the province of the trier of fact.